The present invention relates to traps for rodents, and more particularly to mouse traps which are environmentally safe to use, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and permit the entrapment, killing, and disposal of the rodent in a sanitary manner without actual viewing of the rodent carcass.
The elimination of rodents from household residences and the like has long been recognized, with a variety of mechanical devices, chemical compounds, and extermination techniques currently available in the marketplace. While these various devices and compounds have proven generally effective in their desired function, they have typically been inconvenient in use, posed significant safety hazards to the user, or have caused ecological damage to the environment.
The majority of conventional mousetrap devices have incorporated various trigger-actuated spring mechanisms which, upon detecting the presence of a rodent, violently impinge upon the rodent, leaving exposed the unsightly as well as usually odorous carcass which must be subsequently removed by the user. As is all too well known, the removal of the carcass from the trap is typically an unpleasant task and occasionally subjects the user to various germs and diseases carried by the rodent or rodent parasites. Additionally, such conventional traps are incapable of distinguishing between the presence of a rodent and that of small children or house pets, thereby posing a significant safety hazard during use.
Although the more recent box-type or cage-type prior art traps have reduced the threat of injury to the user, they typically have been expensive to manufacture and have failed to remedy the problem encountered in disposing of the rodent carcass. Additionally, such cage traps often utilize a spring trigger mechanism which may be accidentally actuated by the rodent prior to entry into the cage, thereby failing to perform its desired function.
The chemical compounds and extermination techniques heretofore utilized have comprised highly toxic chemicals such as fumigants and anti-coagulants which pose an even greater safety hazard to the user, small children, and household pets. Further, such chemicals usually retain their toxicity for extended periods of time, the environmental impact of which has only recently been recognized and not yet fully understood.
As such, there exists a substantial need for a relatively low-cost rodent trap which eliminates the inconvenience, safety, and environmental deficiencies heretofore found in prior art apparatus and chemical compounds.